Cherry-Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

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Who doesn’t love a good cupcake?  Well, I for one am a fan of the little suckers, although before this little experiment, I hadn’t actually baked them for myself.  I came to this realization while creating this recipe, actually; I was appalled with myself!  It probably wasn’t the best idea to have my first cupcake baking experience be for my younger brother’s high school graduation party, but they did turn out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself; the only thing I would probably change in hindsight is using real tart cherries instead of the maraschino variety, although that was the original plan (the grocery store didn’t have fresh cherries that day).

The inception of these delicious morsels came about from a grocery store visit of mine several weeks ago; I had been looking through the produce section at the grocery store one day, and I had seen these amazing looking fresh cherries that I wanted to use in some way.  The idea grew in my head over the following days/weeks, and I even created a list of ideas for how I could use those attractive cherries.  Upon reviewing the list, I found that most of the ideas included both cherries and chocolate; this steered me towards making something sweet instead of savory.  Then I remembered my brother’s grad party coming up, and I decided to go with a crowd-pleasing dessert:  cupcakes.  I am very satisfied with my choice, and it was not just a great result, but equally a learning experience, as I’d had a few mishaps along the way; I’ve found that to be the best way to improve myself as a cook/baker:  to make mistakes and learn from them.  So the next time I make cupcakes, I’ll know to let them bake a little longer than I initially think, to use a much larger bowl when beating the frosting (there was pink cherry frosting splattered everywhere on the walls!), and to wear an apron when using dipping chocolate (my shirt was covered).

Ingredients:  (makes 2 dozen cupcakes)

For the cupcakes:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s, because that’s what I had in the pantry)

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup & 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup maraschino cherry liquid

1 cup maraschino cherries, halved

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Hershey’s)

For the frosting:

1/2 cup maraschino cherries

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the cherry garnish:

24 whole maraschino cherries

1 tub melting chocolate (you can find this in the baking aisle)

What to do:

For the cupcakes:

For the frosting:

For the cherry garnish:

Finished product:

1) Cupcakes can be referred to as fairy cakes in Britain or patty cakes in Australia.

2) Chocolate is a natural antidepressant. It contains tryptophan which helps you create serotonin, your body’s own antidepressant.

3) The same chemicals that give tart cherries their color may relieve pain better than aspirin and ibuprofen in humans; eating about 20 tart cherries a day could reduce inflammatory pain and headache pain.

 

 

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